A magnitude 6.1 earthquake shook southern Iran at 2:00 AM local time on Saturday, killing five and injuring at least 50. The seismic event was followed by approximately 30 aftershocks, with two measuring at 6.3 and 6.1. 

Deadly Iran quakes

“All of the victims died in the first earthquake, and no one was harmed in the next two severe quakes as people were already outside their homes,” said Foad Moradzadeh, governor of Bandar Lengeh country, quoted by the state news agency IRNA.

Iran is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, being crossed by several major faults covering at least 90% of the country. As a result, earthquakes in Iran occur often and are destructive. Iran is well known for its long history of disastrous earthquake activity. 

State TV said 150 quakes and tremors had struck the western Hormozgan province over the past month.

In April last year, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake hit Bushehr, where a major nuclear power plant is located. In southeastern Iran’s Kerman province, a 6.6 magnitude earthquake killed more than 31,000 people and flattened the ancient city of Bam in 2003.

The recent tremors were felt in the United Arab Emirates and other neighboring Gulf states. According to USGS, other impacted countries include Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, and Afghanistan.

Last month at least 1,000 people died in an earthquake in Paktika, a mountainous region in eastern Afghanistan.

Gentle quakes in Israel

The earthquakes in Iran come in sharp contrast to a recent series of tremors in Israel.  Last Wednesday night, a 3.1 magnitude earthquake shook northern Israel. 

There were no reports of injuries or damage. Israel’s Geological Survey tracked the quake, saying it was centered 13 kilometers (8 miles) northeast of Beit She’an, on the border with Jordan, at a depth of 13 kilometers.

In January, a large 6.5-magnitude quake hit off the west coast of Cyprus and was felt in nearby Israel, Lebanon and Turkey. Less than two weeks later, two small earthquakes hit northern Israel. In early February, another quake off the coast of Cyprus was felt in Israel. In late February, two small earthquakes, 3.5 and 3.2, shook northern Israel. Another minor earthquake took place off the coast last month.

While most of these earthquakes shook seismically active regions, it should be noted that Israel sits on t; Israeli quakes have been far more gentle than those experienced by Iran.

Earthquakes and prophecy

As terrifying as earthquakes can be, there may be a silver lining to an increase in regional seismic activity. In a 2007 article in the J-Post, Dr. Shmuel Marco,  Head of the School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Tel Aviv University, noted that prophets became active a certain number of years after major earthquakes. Major earthquakes were recorded in the Jordan Valley in the years 31 BCE, 363 CE, 749 CE and 1033 CE. 

“So roughly,” wrote Marco,,,,,, “we are talking about an interval of every 400 years. If we follow the patterns of nature, a major quake should be expected any time because almost a whole millennium has passed since the last strong earthquake.”

Dr. Marco went so far as to attribute Joshua’s victory at Jericho to divinely directed seismic interference. 

“The destruction of the walls of the city and the damming of the river, as described in Joshua 6:1-16, is generally agreed by most archeologists to be the result of an earthquake, possibly on the Jericho Fault,” Dr.Marco wrote.

Earthquakes are prophesied to accompany the end-of-days however earthquakes inside Israel will m; manifest in a vastly different manner as compared to those outside the Holy Land. 

Massive earthquakes in Israel are prophesied to accompany the multinational Gog and Magog conflict that will signal the end of times.

Jewish esoteric sources explain that God Himself will play a role in the final pre-Messiah war with natural forces fighting against the enemies of Israel.

Earthquakes and volcanoes are explicitly The prophets explicitly mention earthquakes and volcanoes as playing a more devastating role in the end of days outside of Israel, preparing the world by burning away impurities as a crucible is used in metallurgy to purify the metal. 

“And I will bring the third part through the fire and will refine them as silver is refined and will try them as gold is tried; they shall call on My name, and I will answer them; I will say: ‘It is My people’ and they shall say: ‘Hashem is my God.’” Zechariah 13:9